Maria Cantillon Murphy of www.cantillonkitchen.com was diagnosed with Crohn's disease nearly ten years ago. She recently discovered the Specific Carbohydrate Diet which is free from gluten, grains, refined sugar and lactose and it has changed her life.

She uses her passion for cooking and for real food to create delicious recipes which she shares on her blog, along with clear step by step photos. Her food is full of flavour, easy to make and far from deprivation. Many of the recipes on her blog are also dairy free and Paleo friendly. Her aim is to make healthy eating accesible to everyone.

Preheat the oven to 180 ° C/gas mark 4 or 350°F.
Peel and grate the courgettes/zucchini. Sprinkle with sea salt and leave for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, grate the cheese and lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl.
When the 15 minutes is up, squeeze as much water as possible out of courgettes/zucchini using a colander.
Mix courgettes/zucchini, cheese and eggs well in a bowl.
Place on a pizza tray covered with some parchment paper.
Bake for 20-30 minutes. You will need to keep an eye on this because it can burn easily. I find 20 minutes in my oven is usually enough.
Remove and put on your toppings (except rocket).
Bake for another 10 minutes or less until cheese is melted on top. Serve with fresh rocket.
This pizza keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days and can be reheated in the microwave or a warm oven.

* Technically passata and tinned tomatoes are not legal on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). I only use one brand: Mutti which I have verified with the company are completely sugar-free and 100% tomatoes. You should check with the company if you are not sure before using a new brand.

Butternut Squash "Cottage Pie"

Corn, egg, gluten, lactose, peanut, sesame, soya & wheat free

A warming comfort dish that's packed with veggies.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 courgette/zucchini, grated

2 carrots, peeled and grated

1 butternut squash

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

500g (1.1 lbs) beef mince

500g (4 cups) chestnut/button mushrooms

5 tbsp chopped, tinned tomatoes

2 tbsp good quality butter (I use Kerrygold)

50g (½ cup) Cheddar cheese, grated

sea salt

black pepper

Method

Place the halved dates in a bowl with water to soak for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 or 350°F.

Peel and chop the butternut squash.

Cook by either boiling or steaming for 30-40 minutes until tender.

Place shredded courgette and shredded carrot in a bowl with a sprinkle of sea salt and leave for 15 minutes.

Then, drain as much water as possible from the vegetables.

Heat olive oil in a medium frying pan and add mince. Fry until brown.

Add mushrooms and fry for 5-10 minutes until tender.

Mix through carrot and courgette and season with salt and pepper.

Add chopped tomatoes to the beef and vegetable mix, stirring well. Turn off the heat.

Mash the butternut squash with a potato masher.

Add butter, a pinch of sea salt and pepper and stir well.

Place the beef mixture in an ovenproof dish, then cover completely with the butternut squash mash and finally top with the grated cheddar cheese.

Bake until cheese melts on top and the pie begins to brown at the edges, taking care not to let it burn.

I start checking after 20 minutes but usually bake for 30 minutes.

This keeps fine in the fridge for two days and can be reheated in a warm oven.